- Amazon's AI-powered SCOT forecasts demand for over 400 million products, optimizing inventory management.
- Robots in Amazon's fulfillment centers, trained with generative AI, ensure efficient handling and sorting of packages.
- Advanced machine learning models are utilized to optimize delivery routes, adapting to daily varying customer orders and external factors.
November 28th, 2023: Amazon is using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the customer experience and speed up package arrivals in the busy world of online shopping, especially during the busy holiday season.
As Cyber Monday gets closer, the online shopping giant has added AI to every part of its business, from the moment an order is made to the very end of delivery.
Amazon’s Supply Chain Optimization Technology (SCOT) plays a pivotal role even before customers make a purchase. SCOT utilizes deep learning and massive datasets to predict demand for over 400 million products daily, determining the ideal stock levels and locations for a vast array of items.
This system has significantly improved forecasting accuracy, enabling Amazon to offer an extensive range of products and ensure quicker deliveries.
At the core of Amazon’s fulfillment centers are AI-enabled robotics, assisting employees in efficiently handling packages. These robots are equipped with machine vision technology, capable of recognizing, sorting, and inspecting various goods before they’re packaged and dispatched.
Amazon employs generative AI to simulate various scenarios to prepare for peak days like Cyber Monday, thereby training the robots to handle high-volume operations effectively.
One such robot, named “Robin,” aids in sorting packages. Equipped with an AI-enhanced vision system, Robin identifies and selects packages of varying sizes and shapes, deciding the best approach and suction cup quantity needed for each pick-up. This precision ensures smooth and accurate handling of packages before they’re loaded onto delivery trucks.
The journey to the customer’s doorstep involves AI-assisted route optimization. With the complexity of daily varying customer orders, designing efficient delivery routes is a challenging task.
Amazon relies on over 20 machine learning models to plan routes, considering numerous factors like traffic, weather, and individual delivery instructions. This AI-driven approach enables Amazon to devise the most efficient delivery paths from an almost infinite array of possibilities.
In the final stage, Amazon’s last-mile delivery teams are exploring the use of generative AI and large language models to refine decision-making for drivers. This includes clarifying delivery notes, particularly useful in large buildings, and correlating various attributes of a delivery address with real-world conditions.
Scot Hamilton, Amazon’s vice president for last-mile delivery routing and planning technology, emphasized the transformative impact of AI in handling the unpredictability of deliveries.
He noted, “AI continually helps us improve day after day, minute after minute, so we can take packages to our customers in safer, better, and more efficient ways.”
These AI innovations at Amazon underscore the company’s commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology to enhance customer satisfaction and streamline the delivery process, particularly during the demanding holiday season.
